Artist Profile: K2.

Kiheis Black aka K2 is a rapper from Hartford, Connecticut and a Sophomore at Eastern Connecticut State University. K2 is taking the next step as an artist with upcoming releases and is ready to solidify as well as, distinguish himself within the rap community in CT.

From an early age K was infatuated with music while being surrounded by music. “Music was all around me, so it was something I wanted to try” Kiheis said. Even though he found his love for music from listening to others K2 has a style and philosophy on music that is all his own. “If I hear a beat I f**k with then I’ll do it.” There is no such thing as a K2 type beat because of his versatility and adaptability.

“I’ll do drill, I’ll do hyper pop, I’ll do trap s**t… whatever”.

His unique ability to adapt his tone and style of music shows a willingness to step outside of his comfort zone consistently which is something that the average consumer of music may not understand. The challenges of or be privy to, but as someone who has gotten to watch him work up close it is very intriguing and impressive.

When I was able to sit down in the studio with K2 I learned a bit more about the artists that made him fall in love with music. “Nicki Minaj was definitely my first… Pink Friday was one of the first albums I ever bought, and I know a lot of people think oh he’s a guy (but)… I’m a very animated person and Nicki is the same way”. Having been around K2 for the past year, I can confirm that he is one of the most animated personalities that you will ever meet. You can certainly see that come through in his music. His true talent comes in the fact that he is able to hone all that chaotic energy and passion that he exudes and turn it into focused concise music.

Watching K2 make music is another experience all in it of itself, recording entire songs in one take is not an unusual thing for him to do, and in that one take he makes it sound exactly how he wants to with minimal adjustments required after the fact. As amazing as that might seem he also has had times when songs don’t immediately click for him. “I keep going and going until I do (get it right) … If I f**k up, I go back and start all over if one spot doesn’t sound right the whole song don’t sound right.” This encapsulates K2’s ethos as a writer and artist where the execution of a vision takes precedence over all else. Taking pride in what you create is another tell-tale sign of an artist that respects the craft and cares about what they are producing.

K2 is here to stay, and he is not taking no for an answer. Last Monday he released a surprise single “Waitress” which is out now on Soundcloud, and before the end of the year, you can also expect the release of his untitled second mixtape. “It’s definitely better than my last and I think it was worth the two year wait” If you want to catch up on all things K2 you can stream his first tape “The 2 tape” or his latest single “Waitress remix” on Soundcloud.